“Taiko no Tatsujin” Gets Western Releases

Bandai Namco announced today that the popular Japanese rhythm game, Taiko no Tatsujin, is releasing on November 2 for Western Switch and PlayStation 4 owners.

Due to differences in each platform, there are two separate titles: Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! for the Switch and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! for PS4. Drum ‘n’ Fun utilizes the Joy-Con’s motion controls by acting as a drumstick, while Drum Session! will have online ranked mode. Each version will also have their own exclusive songs and characters, aside from the shared selection. Keep in mind that the Japanese Switch version, which released on July 19, also keeps a different song list due to licensing barriers.

Translated as “Taiko Drum Master,” Taiko no Tatsujin puts players in charge of playing notes on a simulated taiko drum. Each note specifies where and how fast to hit the drum, which is set according to the chosen song. There are also different difficulty levels which dictate the intensity of the note sequence. Arcade versions in Japan feature taiko drum replicas for players, while home releases rely on controller buttons, touch screen interfaces, or motion controls to simulate the movement.